10 Recent Propaganda Pieces That Were Lies

For centuries, propaganda has been used to inspire nations and dehumanize the enemy. In times of war, a powerful propaganda campaign can increase industrial production, recruitment numbers, and troop morale. Unfortunately for propaganda makers, the age of the internet and instant communication has made propaganda more difficult to create. Below are 10 recent pieces of Propaganda that were built upon lies and falsities.

10

Israel Uses Nelson Mandela

On December 31st, 2008, while Israel was at war in the Gaza strip, Mark Regev, the International Spokesman for the Israeli Prime Minister, took to the radio to answer questions. Speaking on behalf of the Prime Minister, a caller accused the Israeli involvement in Gaza to the South African Apartheid. Regev countered the claim by noting that Nelson Mandela spoke highly of Zionism in his autobiography. Surely Mandela would disagree with the caller, and support the existence of Israel.

In actuality, Mandela had already made it clear that, while he did not oppose the existence of Israel, he believed that Palestine’s had a place in the region as well. In 2001, in a memo addressing Israel, Mandela wrote, “If you want peace and democracy, I will support you. If you want formal Apartheid, we will not support you. If you want to support racial discrimination and ethnic cleansing, we will oppose you”. The message spread by Regev, in an attempt to garner support by linking the widely-loved Mandela to Israel, was proved false.

9

Iran Designs Non-Functioning Jet

In February of 2013, Iran unveiled their next generation stealth fighter, touted as a superior alternative to the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and the F-22 Raptor. Initially leaked by bloggers, the jet was shown flying over Mount Damavand in Northern Iran. In short time, fellow bloggers noted that the jet was photoshopped into a popular wallpaper image of the mountain. Nevertheless, Iranian officials maintained its existence, even issuing a press released featuring President Ahmadinejad observing the craft.

Aerospace engineers from Israel, Europe, and the United States picked apart the aircraft, deriding it as simply unable to fly. The canopy appeared to be made of Plexiglas, and the small cockpit was overly simple; it lacked the complex functions and mechanisms of similar stealth aircraft. Most prominently, the engine lacked any exhaust nozzle, indicating that any attempt to start the jet would melt the entire vehicle.

8

Pat Tillman Story

At the time of the September 11th attacks, Pat Tillman was a promising young star playing for the Arizona Cardinals, an American football team. In May of 2002, Tillman rejected a 3.2 million dollar contract extension, instead opting to enlist in the military and pursue a career as an Army Ranger. On April 22nd, 2004, the United States Army revealed that Taliban militants operating near the Pakistani border in Afghanistan killed Tillman in an ambush. The United States Army ran with the story, promoting the tale of an all-star athlete that turned down vast sums of money to defend his country to the death, utilizing it as a recruiting tool.

Unfortunately, the Army-supported story documenting Pat Tillman’s death was not entirely true. Tillman’s squad was mistaken for a group of enemies by his fellow Rangers. As Tillman and his comrades attempted to signal that they were friendly units, three bullets struck him, killing him instantly. The medical examiner noted that the damage caused by the bullets was likely fired from a SAW machine gun; a gun carried exclusively by the United States military. Regardless of this fact, Tillman’s body armor was destroyed in an attempt to hide evidence, and the truth surrounding his death was not revealed until 2007.

7

Iraqi Information Minister

Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf, the Iraqi Information Minister under Saddam Hussein, could be regarded as the biggest fan of his regime. During the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, al-Sahhaf, nicknamed “Baghdad Bob” by the Western media, issued daily media reports, downplaying the strength and severity of the foreign invasion. Two days before the fall of Baghdad, al-Sahhaf stated that coalition forces were committing suicide by the hundreds outside the city. Ironically enough, two American tanks could be seen in the background of the video, which was filmed on a rooftop facing the Tigris River. Despite the impending doom, he maintained that US forces were being surrounded, captured, and killed by the thousands. He was captured in 2005, and eventually released. To this day, he holds firm that the information he stated was authentic.

6

North Korean Satellite Launch

Following a series of failed satellite launches, North Korea “successfully” put a satellite into space in December of 2012, to coincide with the one-year anniversary of Kim Jong Il’s death. The North Korean regime hailed the launch as a great success, closing schools and businesses for a day and encouraging citizens to take to the streets and celebrate. They touted the launch as a sign of North Korean supremacy and intelligence. Meanwhile, astronomers around the globe immediately noted that the satellite was tumbling out of control. While it posed no threat to earth, it was haphazardly flying around in space, endangering other satellites. Experts mocked it as a “dishwasher wrapped in aluminum foil”. The pride of the burgeoning North Korean space agency was, in actuality, a complete failure.

5

Iran can’t figure out Photoshop

Harkening back to number 9, Iran’s history of being utterly inept at using Photoshop dates back to 2007. Fars News Site published a controversial picture that supposedly showed a terrorist stockpile of US made weapons, “proving” that the United States was actively funding terrorists in the region. Unfortunately for the publisher, the photo was blatantly photoshopped, and the US-made weapons were crudely pasted into another crudely taken photograph. In 2008, following a controversial rocket launch, Sepah News, the media sector of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, released a photo of the event. Observers around the globe noted that the smoke trails of two missiles looked exactly the same. After what should have been 5 minutes of investigation, it became apparent that the Iranian government had copied one of the other rocket launches, thus making it look like 4 rockets were launched. In 2009, the Iranian government was caught poorly copying the crowd at a rally for President Ahmadinejad, in an attempt to make the crowd appear much larger. It seems as if Iran should just end any attempts at digitally altering any photographs.

4

Chinese Top Gun

In January of 2011, China Central Television showed footage from an air force training exercise to display the strength of their new J-10 fighter jet. In one particularly dramatic scene, another jet is seen in the crosshairs of the J-10, before exploding in a dramatic fireball. The footage was released in hopes of garnering support for the military, and to bolster Chinese pride in their technology. When the film reached the Internet, commenter’s were quick to point out that the theatrical dogfight scene looked a bit too familiar, and the exploding jet resembled an American F-5. A bit of sleuthing revealed that the crosshair video matched up, frame for frame, with the American blockbuster hit Top Gun.

3

Iranian Space Monkey

Seemingly in competition with North Korea to develop the least functioning space program on Earth, Iran sent a monkey into space on January 29, 2013. Footage from the monkey prior to launch showed a frightened creature, strapped down, with a small mole above its right eye. Upon its return to earth, the Iranian government produced another video of the monkey, this time with darker fur, a more narrow face, and no mole over its eye. It was obvious that this was not the same monkey that launched on the 29th. In the best-case scenario, the Iranian Space Agency never placed the monkey into the rocket, and lied about it to bolster the image of their program. On the flip side, it is very much possible that they attempted to launch a monkey, and failed, killing the primate passenger.

2

Iraqi Militants Kidnap a Toy Soldier

In January of 2005, Iraqi militants claimed to capture a United States soldier named John Adams (apparently they chose the most American name possible). In an online post, they stated Adams was captured after killing a number of his fellow soldiers in an ambush. They threatened to behead Adams within 72 hours, unless Iraqi prisoners were released from United States prisons. As proof of their capture, they posted a photo of an African American soldier, donning desert camouflage and knee pads, with a gun to his head.

Almost immediately, the US military press office in Baghdad noted that no units were reported missing. Toy manufacturer Drag Models USA saw the photo of John Adams in a news report, and immediately identified it as one of their “Cody” action-figures that were available in Kuwait. They “kidnappers” simply propped the toy up against a miniature backdrop before taking the photo.

1

The Jessica Lynch Story

One of the most famous Prisoners of War to emerge from the Iraq War, Jessica Lynch was captured by the Iraqi military in 2003, at the young age of 20, following an intense firefight. After 9 days in captivity at a local hospital, Lynch was rescued in a daring raid, suffering from numerous knife and bullet wounds. Young and pretty, Lynch served as a perfect poster child for American sacrifice and courage, and the military exploited her rescue in an attempt to recruit individuals and gain support for the war.

As time progressed, Lynch began to speak truthfully about her rescue. She revealed that she had been injured in a truck accident, and her weapon was broken. She could not fight back as she was taken to the nearby hospital. Doctors at the hospital maintain that she was treated exceptionally well. She was given three bottles of blood, two of them taken directly from workers at the hospital, as they had run out of donations. She was assigned a specialist bed, and one of only two nurses available. The doctors diagnosed her with a broken thigh, a broken arm, and a dislocated ankle; wounds typically seen in a vehicle accident. They noted no bullet or knife wounds. 7 days into captivity, a hospital worker attempted to drive Lynch to the Americans, but the ambulance was fired upon as it approached the US troops.

By the time the hospital was raided, the Iraqi military had left the region. Locals told American interpreters that large numbers of Iraqi soldiers were seen fleeing from the area. As helicopters circled overhead, a large American force entered, with cameras rolling. They crashed through the windows, and rounded up doctors and nurses, portraying them as hostile forces. Lynch was finally “rescued”, and the media adored her.

Lynch grew disdainful of the attention she received, and blamed the government for altering her story as propaganda. She remains critical of the story, and often clarifies that it was not her doing to misconstrue the true details of her capture. Lynch was not the “Rambo from the hills of West Virginia” as the military had claimed.

Andrew is a poor college student that enjoys eating raw potatoes and onions as if they were apples. Follow him on twitter

The Tillman deal was really shameful. They wanted him to be a lot of things that he wasn’t, but in truth he was an atheist and strongly disagreed with the invasion of Iraq. His brother at the funeral should have been the first clue that maybe they should have dialed it back a bit…

yea that extremely shameful, but currently we need to haul our butts out of the middle east. did i support the invasion of Iraq? origionally. do i support what we’re doing now? did i support it six years ago? did i support installing a democracy? no, no, no. from the propaganda to things like soldiers pissing on dead bodies and photgraphing it, it’s time they come back from a war that’s gone on too long, for no good reason anymore.

I have a lot of respect for soldiers but in a warzone that is increasingly confusing and so out of touch with their training some off them psychologically snap and end up directing a freak show in Abu Ghraib. I’m relieved our troops (Canada) didn’t go there. Although we did go and are still in Afghanistan which I supported at first and think it was needed but our role there should be over.

I didn’t say that would be a balanced list, balanced would have some American, some from Asia and Africa, some from Europe and it would make a great list, but I do like reading about stuff like this from America because they are notoriously bad for it (Bradley Manning, anyone?).

I personally would hesitate to include Colin Powell, if only because he has publicly acknowledged that the speech he gave was inaccurate, and he regrets his role in the lead up to the war. He’s the only one of the high level cabinet members who has shown the slightest bit of empathy on the matter.

My bad, aparently the yellowcake uranium powder was sold to Iraq by Niger not Nigeria…but the question is “Did Iraq had weapons of mass destruction”. In what I can agree is that they had chemical weapons (mustard bombs) provided to them for the Iran-Iraq war…also used on the Kurds in nothern Iraq…

A good friend of mine at university is an Iranian exile. He’s simply a genius with Photoshop and just about every other application you can think of. Makes me think the Iranians must have chased away everyone who can make a halfway decent Photoshop image, perhaps because using Photoshop competently is forbidden by the Koran?

Great job Andrew. Wouldn’t change a word. Pat Tillman’s story is sad, and unfortunately not an isolated incident. Too much Top Gun not enough discipline. . Expect you could do a couple follow-ups. Certainly plenty of fodder with the Iraq war – on both sides. WWII even more so. And Vietnam for sure; remember reading about the inflated death counts and such. Looking forward to them.

Friendly Fire accidents do happen. And speaking of discipline, It’s not walk in the park to become an Army Ranger, so I’m quite sure they had more than enough training. A lot different sitting behind a computer and thinking its easy to tell friend from foe than it is in actuality.

Where Men Win Glory paints a pretty vivid, albeit gruesome, account of the accident. Everyone in the squad pointed to one guy, some trigger happy meathead that was generally disliked by everyone else. He was carrying the SAW, and was noted to try and by a hero whenever possible.

I’m not talking out my ass – my Dad is Canadian air force and as such had many joint operations and training with the American forces. His complaint, always, was too many heroes, not enough discipline.

The difference between a freedom fighter and a terrorist is only one of perspective. Are Palestinians wrong of resorting to bombings when for all your life Israeli troops have been demolishing your houses, arresting or outright killing your father and raping your mother and sister. Are the freedom fighters or terrorist. I honestly can’t say for sure that I wouldn’t do the same thing in their situation and I would see myself as a terrorist but a freedom fighter.

Well the blacks and other ethnic races there certainly are. But again you cant get rid of the problems created by 200 years of white oppression overnight but still they are certainly a lot freer than they were under apartheid.

You sound like a prime candidate for a state sponsored sterility programme, your views are so racially extreme that you need a lesson and instead of shouting over your internet connection why dont you visit to see for yourself what the country is like.

Durban and East London are very beautiful this time of year. And no you dont need an armed guard it isnt that bad.

And then of course you only have to look at the news to realise it isnt just black on black, black on white crime as Oscar Pistorius so eloquently proved.

Its one of the exact same problems as the US is facing, due to their reliance on guns to solve problems not realising that this is what has escalated the actual violence.

My views are extreme? This coming from the guy who wants to sterilize me because I pointed out that Nelson Mandela is an asshole. Seriously dude, go fuck yourself. Nobody is impressed with your self-righteous bullshit. I know you think you’re so smart and enlightened, but you’re nothing but a parrot repeating whatever your left-wing masters say. Eat shit.

And this is why you resorted to name calling and other ad hominem attacks then is it?

When you cant argue a point and debate it, its probably best if you dont get involved on this website as you will be called out for your outright lunacy.

Read the points I have given you and realise that your perceived reports are from white supremacist hate groups with which your limited mental capacity feels some kinship with.

You have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt with this reply how utterly devoid you are of anything remotely resembling culture, decency and an intellectual capacity to discuss these issues on even the most basic levels.

Now how many times do I need to flush to get rid of you I wonder.

Now then go and get that dummy you spat out and go and use your internet connection for something to which you are accustomed and make your masturbators elbow slightly worse.

Louis,,,You make a good point. Terrorists or freedom fighters. What about Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan? Hundreds of civilians are dying everyday over there because of US and British actions. 911 needed to be taken care of and it was. But there is too much oil over there. How would we feel if our families and friends were being blown to bitseys because of energy resources. When Bush invaded Iraq it was not because Iraq was a threat. He wanted to show dear old dad he could do what he didn’t finish. Cheney/Halliburton made the final push. Iraq was a devastated country that did not have enough power to threaten the US. It was about oil and military bases being planted in strategically oil controlling areas. The middle east is oil rich. I have heard that Iran has as much as 40% (could be less, I don’t know) of the world’s oil resource. Perpetual war is on the horizon.

I know what he claimed to be fighting against. I also know that Umkhonto we Sizwe was responsible for the torture and murder of thousands of innocent people, both black and white. I also know that white people in South Africa are facing what can only be described as genocide and the ANC couldn’t care less.

What? Genocide you say, can you prove this or is this just another scare mongering story regarding how awful the “darkies” are?

You do realise that SA is trying to uplift what was until 17 years ago a poverty stricken majority of their population right? And that this integration is taking its time as their country was raped for two centuries by British and Boer settlers right?

Please dont use words that you clearly dont understand what they mean. Yes it is a high death toll but it is mainly violence against all races not just aimed at the white minority who are still effectively in charge.

Please dont fall for this racist nonsense as that is exactly what it is, crimes are caused by social problems and are not aimed specifically at one group, I think you need to get a little bit more of an education of the root cause of the problems in South Africa stemming directly from their oppression and outright hate of the ethnic majorities in that country. 200 years of oppression and violence will generally do as a start to this but then add in economic poverty and you may start to understand the underlying societal issues.

Ok you just leave that there and I will now rip it apart as being nothing more than a pleasant diversion and even by their own admission South Africa is on a very low level with 3,000 attacks across the board on Afrikaners in nearly 20 years.

That Wiki article right there is exactly what this organisation is pointing out, See it is easy to do the checking instead of relying on someone sending you an email link for you to start goosestepping in time.

This Genocide Watch seem to be another one of your far right white supremacist nutjobs according to various other Google searches, I would try to find a more unbiased approach if you are goin to try and spar with me my friend.

And thank you for the very nice reply swearing at me and showing everyone else your level of intelligence. It made all of my points for me and yes I think you would be one of the first in any Social Darwinism experiment.

Thank you!
Talk about spiking premature footballs.. When i saw that fool declaring victory over HIS war in, pretty much its’ embryonic stage, i was absolutely pissed.. Now, though, it’s become one of my favorite “bushisms”..

I think it is more worthwhile to look at the people who are actually benefiting from continued involvement John such as Haliburton, BP, Aegis and countless others including the mercenaries in the employ of the US like Blackwater (called Academi now).

And then realise that this continued involvement is a gravy train for many “friends” of your government and mine.

And then we will look at the scary cost of all of this which is now around $2 trillion (with a T) and how much of this has entered private corporate interested parties pockets.

It is this corruption that led us there in the first place and what will keep us there on “peacekeeping” duties now that we have ignited a civil war.

Great Andrew! A fascinating and sometimes amusing list. I love the “capture” of the doll! The failed Photoshop images are wonderfully funny (or would be if the situation were less horrid), and the over-the-top lies on everyone’s part are just stupid.
I remember the Tillman story, and Jessica Lynch. They sounded suspicious even at the time and no one I know was surprised in the least when the truth came out.
More lists please!

Was John Adams rescued? After all he was a patriotic doll serving his country by making the Iraqi insurgents look like fools. No man left behind and all that. If he had been an Israeli doll thay would probably have released 1000 Plaestinisnas to get him back.

Its an outrage that the US government has made no attempt to rescue John Adams. Shameful treatment of a loyal servicedoll. There should be a campaign started on his behalf. A million doll march through Washington for a start.

wow…since your country never experienced true war (not to discount terrorist acts-different barrel) on its soil, what you wrote is a slap to the face….no war is fought in an honest and truly clean manner…point fingers at your own country son? so sad…another idiot…meanwhile plenty of warring nations out there-don’t like war? move…

Number 5 was an officially sanctioned Israeli Hasbara attempt by their government to discredit Iran. Iran repeatedly denied the photograph, other than the original, was genuine and the original fake postings (twitter, etc. under faux Iranian officials accounts which were later taken down) were quickly tracked back to Israeli IP addresses through the original edited digital watermark, showing the earliest known examples of the photoshopped pictures are from Israel. Similar to their attempt to include kevlar vests in “seized equipment” Israel “found” on the Turkish flotilla, where the original pictures were shown to be from Israeli edits weeks before the incident even took places.

Number 2 was found to be a hoax, either created by the US or by Israel again, as no known or active militia or political group officially claimed responsibility at the time or any time before the video was shown to be fake (originally found out by the Internet of course, then officially refuted by the toy company in question after). It was sent anonymously through a US based military post office, something regular civilians don’t have access to, IN Afghanistan.